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1987 Austrian Grand Prix
16 August |number = 446 |officialname = XXV Holiday Großer Preis von Österreich |circuit = Red Bull Ring Österreichring |location = Spielberg, Styria, Austria |circuittype = Permanent racing facility |lapdistance = 5.942 |laps = 52 |distance = 308.984 |pole = Nelson Piquet |polenation = BRA-1968 |poleteam = |poletime = 1:23.357 |fastestlap = 1:28.318 |fastestlapdriver = Nigel Mansell |fastestlapnation = GBR |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 31 |winner = Nigel Mansell |winnernation = GBR |winnerteam = |second = Nelson Piquet |secondnation = BRA-1968 |secondteam = |third = Teo Fabi |thirdnation = ITA |thirdteam = }} The 1987 Austrian Grand Prix, otherwise advertised as the XXV Holiday Großer Preis von Österreich, was the tenth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Österreichring on the 16 August 1987.'Austrian GP, 1987', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2015), http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr446.html, (Accessed 04/04/2019) The race would see Nigel Mansell claim victory ahead of Championship leading teammate Nelson Piquet, as the safety standards of the Österreichring were called into question. Qualifying would pass without issue, with Piquet claiming pole ahead of Mansell, who was struggling after having a wisdom tooth removed shortly before the race weekend. Gerhard Berger was next ahead of the two s, while title protagonist Ayrton Senna claimed seventh. Indeed, it was at the start of the race where the Österreichring's future was put into doubt, with Martin Brundle getting spat into the barriers, only for his to bounce straight back onto the circuit. René Arnoux and Adrián Campos duly smacked into one-another trying to avoid the Brit, with the two s colliding on the other side of the Zakspeed. The race was stopped, grid reset, and the start held again, only for a sluggish start from Mansell to cause a huge pile-up behind. This time Riccardo Patrese smacked into Eddie Cheever, causing the American to be hit by Stefan Johansson, who was himself hit by Brundle in the spare Zakspeed. More cars bundled in behind, with the race having to be stopped for a second time. Incredibly there would only be one driver unable to take the third restart, with Philippe Streiff unable to take the spare Tyrrell. However, there would be half a dozen starters from the pitlane, including Alain Prost when his stalled on the formation lap, and Michele Alboreto. Senna would stall on the third restart, although with field thinned, and drivers, taking a more cautious approach, the rest of the runners managed to avoid the . Out front, meanwhile Piquet would lead from Thierry Boutsen, Berger and a slow starting Mansell, while Senna joined Prost and Alboreto in a charge through the back markers. Berger and Boutsen would quickly disappear from the fight for the lead with issues, leaving Piquet ahead of Mansell and Teo Fabi at the head of the field. Mansell would subsequently sneak into the lead when Piquet got caught on the wrong side of a backmarker, with the pair able to stop for fresh tyres mid-race and rejoin ahead of Fabi. By this stages Senna, Alboreto and Prost had made it back into the points, although a collision between the former two while squabbling sent them both tumbling down the order. Senna was ultimately able to scramble back up to fifth, while Alboreto retired with a cracked exhaust. Out front, meanwhile, Mansell would be able to pull almost a full minute clear of his teammate, securing his fourth win of the season. Piquet, meanwhile, would cruise home in second ahead of Fabi, while a late issue for Prost saw him drop behind both Boutsen and Senna in the closing stages. The results of the race left Piquet with a nine point lead in the Championship, with Senna remaining in second. Mansell had made ground in third, while Prost ended the weekend some 23 points off the leader in fourth. Background A second straight victory last time out in Hungary had left Nelson Piquet with a seven point lead in the Championship, holding 48 points. Ayrton Senna had retained second, while Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost arrived in Austria level on 30 points in third and fourth respectively, but were significantly 18 behind Piquet out front. Stefan Johansson was even further back in fifth, with the rest of the field yet to break into double figures. , meanwhile, had claimed their fifth win of the season in Hungary, and hence had a healthy 29 point lead at the head of the Constructors' Championship. were still their nearest challengers, although they had been drawn in by , the Ethel effort moving onto 47 points to Anglo-German alliance's 49. , meanwhile, were set to finish the season in fourth, while had drawn level with fifth placed . Jonathan Palmer had picked up his fifth win in the Jim Clark Trophy in Hungary, leaving him with 57 points and command in the hunt for the cup. Philippe Streiff had remained his nearest threat, sat on 45, while Pascal Fabre was a secure third ahead of Philippe Alliot. Elsewhere, were dominating the Colin Chapman Trophy, with almost triple the points of in second with seven races to go. Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: * Entries with a white background denote eligibility for the Jim Clark Trophy and Colin Chapman Trophy. Practice Overview Qualifying Friday Qualifying Saturday Qualifying Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: * A white background indicates an entrant in the Jim Clark Trophy. *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. Grid ** Alboreto, Prost, Cheever, Brundle, Danner and Fabre would all restart the race from the pitlane. *† Caffi and Streiff were unable to take the third restart due to damage. Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: * A white background indicates an entrant in the Jim Clark Trophy with numbers in brackets indicating their finishing position in that class. *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. ** Brundle was disqualified for using non-homologated bodywork. *† Fabre was unable to be classified as he failed to complete 90% of the race distance. Milestones * 25th Austrian Grand Prix to be staged. * attended their 100th Grand Prix as an engine manufacturer.'10. Austria 1987', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/autriche.aspx, (Accessed 04/04/2019) * appeared at their 100th Grand Prix. * 100th race start for Nigel Mansell. * Jonathan Palmer entered his 50th Grand Prix.'1987 Austrian GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2015), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1987&gp=Austrian%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 04/04/2019) * Tenth entries for Adrián Campos, Pascal Fabre and Satoru Nakajima. * Eleventh career victory for Mansell. ** Mansell also recorded the 25th fastest lap for a Honda engined car. * 37th win for as a constructor. ** Honda claimed their 24th win as an engine supplier. * Teo Fabi secured his second and final podium finish. * Nelson Piquet claimed the record for most races led - 52. Standings Another podium finish for Nelson Piquet ensured that the Brazilian racer extended his Championship lead, leaving Austria eleven ahead of his nearest challenger Ayrton Senna. The younger Brazilian had also lost ground to Piquet's teammate Nigel Mansell, now four behind in third, while Alain Prost seemed to be out of the fight entirely, having slipped 23 points off the lead. Behind him was Stefan Johansson in fifth, with those five the only drivers in double figures for the season. In the Constructors' Championship, meanwhile, it was 's title to lose after the Austrian Grand Prix, with the Anglo-Japanese squad ending the weekend on 93 points. were still their closest challengers, although with 43 points splitting the two, there was little chance of the Anglo-German squad claiming the crown. Indeed, they were now locked into a fight for second during the final third of the season, with moving to within a point of their rivals. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. Jim Clark/Colin Chapman Trophy continued their domination of the Colin Chapman Trophy, leaving Hungary with a huge 61 point lead. Their lead driver Jonathan Palmer likewise held a position of power in the Jim Clark Trophy, although his lead was only sixteen over his teammate Philippe Streiff. Their closest challenger was Pascal Fabre with the lone , while Ivan Capelli and made ground after their maiden JCT win. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:1987 Grands Prix Category:Austrian Grand Prix